As cruise ships return to service, the Crown and Anchor Society has had some changes made to adhere to certain social distancing guidelines.
Most of the changes are enhancements or additions, although there are a few benefits that have been temporarily rescinded and fewer that have been permanently removed.
To clarify the situation, Royal Caribbean has outlined which changes are going to be lasting, and which are just here for the time being.
It may be just three sailings so far, but Matt got to try a few new restaurants and return to some favorites. In this episode, he has a look at which dishes really stood out.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
Royal Caribbean will begin picking volunteers to go on test cruises
Royal Caribbean posted on social media it will begin picking randomly from its list of well over a quarter of a million volunteers to come aboard a test cruise.
"The time is here," Royal Caribbean announced with excitement. "This week we’ll be randomly selecting and extending invites to registered Volunteers to participate in upcoming simulation cruises."
Freedom of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean cruise ship to sail from the United States since early 2020, and Matt shares what his experience was like onboard.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
New RCB Video: Top 5 changes Royal Caribbean has made (so far)!
8 truths of going on a Royal Caribbean cruise in summer 2021
Cruises are back again in North America and Europe, and while there have only been very few sailings, already a few "new rules" are emerging from the collective experience.
With new protocols, onboard rules, and travel industry trends, there are a few things anyone going on a cruise this summer or fall should know about before they head out.
It looks like cruises are close to restarting (hopefully), and if you are flying to a cruise ship, this may be a good opportunity to review the basics when it comes to planning to book flights and plan for a cruise you have to get to via airplane.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
New RCB Video: 8 Annoying Things Some People On A Cruise Ship Do!
There has been a ton of changes, updates, and announcements by Royal Caribbean since last week's episode, so Matt talks about all the changes on this episode.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
New RCB Video: Here's what volunteers have to do on a test cruise
The opportunity for cruises to restart again from the United States is something Fain sees as the result of widespread vaccine distribution, public pressure on government officials, and a change in the relationship with the CDC.
So what will a cruise be like once they can sail again?
"As we restart, there will be some more restrictions than before," Mr. Fain explained, "but we expect there will be temporary and similar to what we've all become used to on land.
Many first time cruisers are eager to learn about the best Royal Caribbean ship to sail on, so a common question asked is which cruise ships should be avoided.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
New RCB Video: Celebrity Cruises announces new mask, vaccine, and shore excursion rules!
Late on Saturday night, Royal Caribbean confirmed all sailings from Haifa, Israel were cancelled "due to the unrest in Israel and the region, Odyssey has not been able to complete the preparations required".
Instead, Odyssey will now head to Florida and await a new deployment.
Every so often we hear about a ship going in for a dry dock, but what happens and why are they so important? A retired Coast Guard Commander shares with us what happens during these scheduled breaks for cruise ships.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
5 cruise trends Royal Caribbean doesn't do (and 1 it jumped on)
Royal Caribbean is an industry leader, but they don't do everything their competitors offer.
Some new cruisers, as well as people new to Royal Caribbean, may be surprised by some of the things Royal Caribbean does not do, which are found on other cruise lines.
The CDC released the next two phases of its Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) that will allow for the "eventual resumption of U.S. cruise industry operations."
The new instructions cover the test cruises that cruise ships would need to conduct in order to start sailing passenger sailings under a COVID-19 Conditional Sailing Certificate.
In the new guidance, the CDC said cruise ships that have 98% vaccinated crew members and 95% vaccinated passengers could restart sailings and bypass the required simulated test voyages carrying volunteers and jump to sailings with paying passengers.
It is not clear yet if Royal Caribbean will move in this direction, nor when any restart might commence yet.
Also included in the report are five points of clarification that give cruise lines better insight into the CDC's expectations for a restart.
5 reasons why what happened to cruise ships in 2020 will never happen again
In the early days of the global health crisis, the cruise industry was caught off guard with a new health threat which was unfortunately seen in the public eye in the case of a few high profile ship quarantines.
More than a year later, memories of what happened to those cruise ships in early 2020 still dominate the narrative for many people and the fear of allowing something like this to happen again is enough to compel some to not want cruise ships to sail again.
A lot has been happening over the last few weeks with various statements, injunctions, and legislation aimed at getting cruise ships sailing again. This week, Matt talks about how he sees things moving, and what it all means.
Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.
New RCB Video: My favorite Royal Caribbean cruise hacks
Quite often you will see an email or social media post advertising discounts to take advantage of, but like so many things, it depends on how much it may actually save you.
The key is to track prices, and reprice when possible.
Help Corner: How to contact Royal Caribbean for help with a cruise cancellation or refund
These days, it seems we all have various billing questions to decipher.
With all of the cruise cancellations over the last year, there is a good chance you may have a future cruise credit, onboard credit, or upcoming booking that you are trying to balance.
Here are some easy steps for getting answers if you are trying to sort out options, or get an update on your refund status.
Happy weekend! I hope Spring is starting to arrive where you live. Regardless of the weather, it is time to sit back, relax, and check out the latest in Royal Caribbean news!
Senators from Florida and Alaska sponsored a new piece of legislation that would allow cruise ships to start sailing without the CDC's interference.
Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, along with Florida Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, announced a bill that is aimed at overriding the CDC’s current framework for getting cruise lines back to sea. In this new legislation, called the CRUISE Act, or Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements, lawmakers are calling on U.S. health officials to change current guidelines.
The purpose of the bill is to end the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC)'s Framework for Conditional Sail Order (CSO) by July 4, 2021 so that cruise lines can restart sailings from the United States.
Royal Caribbean Group CEO sees signs "We Are Approaching The End" of cruise shutdown
Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain thinks cruise ships being able to sail again may be up next.
In his latest video update, Richard Fain sees a lot of key milestones happening now that point to the fact things are moving in the right direction.
Included in his comments was mention of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recent update to its Framework for Conditional Sail Order (CSO), which Mr. Fain characterized as, "tougher restrictions on cruising out of U.S. ports."
Royal Caribbean Blog is an unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International. The Royal Caribbean Blog is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International
Get A Free Quote
Join our Insiders
Like what you see? With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone!
